Kul.turista from Lannovy to Mladého

03. May 2022

Every single story becomes part of the candidacy

In April, the Kul.turista office set out from the city centre to the districts of the city and started its mission - to provide the general public with information about Budweis' candidacy for the European Capital of Culture and to find out who lives in the city. For the first time, the second stop also included a neighbourhood festival in addition to the curated programme.

This time we parked the rainbow caravan of the candidacy at the end of Lannova Avenue near the train station. The caravan blended in perfectly near the renovated rest area with benches, trees and running water. It created a backdrop that made it possible to stop, chat and play in a place that the vast majority of passers-by see only as a backdrop through which they pass on their way to the train or from work, but not as a place where one can spend pleasant leisure time. The caravan park and its tables and coffee facilities suddenly offered a warm welcome to those who arrived in the city by train and who otherwise use Lannova only as a transit corridor to the city centre.

In this context, the Connected with Europe project worked well, directing the first steps of all passengers to a large map of Europe. From there, it was only a small step to starting a conversation about who the people who come to the city are, why they return and where they live, what Budweis offers them compared to other cities in the Czech Republic and Europe, and what they lack.

It is interesting to see that the first reaction of the locals is usually that "a dog died here" and that Budweis has nothing to offer even to the locals, let alone to Europe. Unlike discussions in the online space, when we meet in person, we can get deeper below the surface and find out what people in the city need and explain what a candidacy can bring to each of them.

Mrs. Marie, who is retired, loves travel talks but dreads going home alone in the evenings during the winter months, so she looks forward to spring when she can stay for longer. For Mr. Peter, culture is too expensive. Klára, the mother of a two-year-old girl, says that since the birth of her daughter, she no longer watches cinema programmes and relies only on open-air events. Many parents miss the play elements in the public space that would make them feel welcome in the wider city centre and therefore spend more time there. On the list of wishes that could be fulfilled by the candidacy, this time, to our surprise, the promenades and concerts in the Grove, regular dance halls and outdoor country concerts made the top three. We are grateful to you for sharing your memories and wishes with us. Every single story becomes part of the candidacy. As well as the stories of the people who are part of every Kul.turista program.

Our April stop required a few changes due to the April weather, including some cancelled events. Nevertheless, several associations and organisations operating in the immediate area enlivened Lannova Avenue with their presence. BudeCirkus and Orel worked together and turned it into an open-air gym. The senior Aktiv Club livened up the street with their country dancing and BUDSIDE Break and Street dance. Writers from Pro City Art also played with the public space. The Kmen café organised a public coffee tasting, the so-called cupping. The stop again included an urban planning workshop with the Socionaut studio, which this time reflected with passers-by on the past, present and future of Lannova Avenue and its surroundings.

But the aim of Kul.turista is not only to learn about the culture of your city, but also to create a space for neighbours and local communities to meet as well as to be an impetus for sharing or sparking interest in the public space and joint initiatives. Thus, under the banner of Kul.turista, the local community was brought together and in less than two months of preparation, a rich programme was created in Havlíčkova Colony (mainly) by neighbours for neighbours. Local patriots, old neighbours as well as new neighbours alike created several places to meet, share needs and ideas. For example, the playground on Brožíkova Street, Polní Park and the adjacent Regule playground, Zeyer Street or the turntable at the Malý jez came to life. Neighbourhood festivities included planting flowers, exchanging toys, sharing cakes and recipes, baking sausages, looking at photos and creating. Again, there were several popular public walks with local guides, including art historians and environmentalists. In addition, the joint activity sparked a debate in the local community about the public space and its use, and aroused interest in its upcoming transformation.

We look forward to seeing what this little neighbourhood nudge will do in less than a month in another neighbourhood! You can find our Kul.turista office on May 19-22 at the turntable in Sucháč.

Great event, too bad about the weather 🙂 Jiří Ptáček was an amazing, educated and sophisticated guide. Attendance was abundant. We will definitely attend more walks and events.
— Mrs. K., participant of the walk in Havlinda —
The event brought together many residents of the neighbourhood who universally spoke enthusiastically about some form of continuing to meet each other. This is something to build on.
— Havlinda neighbourhood organiser —
I participated in an Earth Day walk with Mgr. Tomáš Smrž. An interesting and beneficial walk not only for children but also for adults. The information was presented in such a way that the children managed to pay attention even after three hours.
— Mrs. E. —